CHENNAI: When Sporting Club Delhi's substitute forward Sourav K saw his right-footed shot miss the Chennaiyin FC goal by inches deep into stoppage time, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium crowd here breathed a sigh of relief. The hosts, at the fourth time of asking, won their first home game by 1-0 in the Indian Super League this season, on Friday.
Farukh Choudhary’s left footed attempt in the eleventh minute had handed the hosts the lead. Feeding off a line-breaking pass by Spanish playmaker Alberto Noguera in the left flank, the 29-year-old forayed into the box, and tried his luck. His shot caught Delhi goalkeeper Nora Fernandes off-guard, leaving the stadium, filled by a few thousands, in raptures.
What kept Chennaiyin in the match was their defence, keeping an in-form Delhi attack at bay. In the lead-up to the game, a lot had been spoken about how Chennaiyin would cope without Elsinho’s presence, who was stretchered off in the team's 1-3 loss to East Bengal last week.
Facing the likes of Mohammed Aimen and Joseph Sunny was not going to be easy but on Friday, the defence came out on top. At the end of the match, the hosts had more ball recoveries, as they capitalised on loose balls.
With the ball, both teams were equal on possession statistics. The two-time winners were able to supply balls into the final third better than their opponents. Compared to Delhi’s 74, Chennaiyin made 82 successful passes into the attacking zone.
But take nothing away from the way the visitors defended. The back-three ensured that they kept it tight, and forced shots away from the box, after they conceded the first goal. Alex Shaji was someone who kept his team in the game. He slid to make a goal-saving block off Daniel Chima-Chukwu’s volley attempt towards the end of the first half. In the second-half, he ran all the way from the halfway line to make a perfectly-timed slide tackle to deny Farukh, who had threatened to go all the way.
For Clifford Miranda’s men, this win is a morale-booster as they next face beleaguered Mohammedan SC at home next week.
Result: Chennaiyin FC 1 (F Choudhury 11’) bt SC Delhi 0.